Access door with integral crop deflector for a combine harvester and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

An access door for a combine harvester includes a body having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side. The body includes a height defined between the top and the bottom and a width defined between the first side and the second side. A plurality of ribs is integrally formed in the body for adding rigidity thereto, and a deflector is integrally formed with the body and protrudes therefrom. The deflector has a top surface and a width that is substantially the same as the width of the body. The body is defined within a first plane and the top surface is defined within a second plane such that the second plane is disposed at an angle less than 90° from the first plane.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a harvesting machine, and inparticular, to one or more access doors of a combine harvester.

BACKGROUND

Agricultural machines, such as a combine, include different portions orsections for moving crop therethrough. For example, a conventionalcombine may include a cleaning shoe or system that is located betweenthe wheels of the combine, behind the cab and below the engine. Thedesign of the cleaning system is such that a large fan or blowerprovides air driven upward therefrom. The cleaning system may includegrating in the form of a large cylindrical or semi-circular body throughwhich grain and other residue may be separated and falls through andonto a cleaning shoe (or sieve). Air from the blower is generated upwardthrough the flat grating and cleaning shoe and lifts material other thangrain (“MOG”) such as straw and carries the material to the rear of thecombine on a flow of air. Grain that falls through a large flat screenof the cleaning system may collect near a bottom of the combine where itis lifted up by the air flow and deposited into a grain tank. The MOG isfurther carried by the air flow over the top of the sieve and to therear of the combine where it is deposited onto the underlying ground. Ineffect, this performs the cleaning function of the combine. The MOG,which is carried by the air flow to the rear of the combine, may bespread on the ground or otherwise deposited on the ground in a narrowwindrow or swath where it is later picked up.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an access door for acombine harvester includes a body having a top, a bottom, a first side,and a second side, the body including a height defined between the topand the bottom and a width defined between the first side and the secondside; a plurality of ribs integrally formed in the body for addingrigidity thereto; and a deflector integrally formed with the body andprotruding therefrom, the deflector comprising a top surface; wherein,the deflector comprises a width that is substantially the same as thewidth of the body; wherein, the body is defined within a first plane andthe top surface is defined within a second plane, the second plane beingdisposed at an angle less than 90° from the first plane.

In a first example of this embodiment, the body, the plurality of ribsand the deflector are formed of plastic. In a second example, the angleis between 5° and 85°. In a third example, the body has a height greateralong the first side than along the second side. In a fourth example, aseal is disposed along the top, the first side and the second side. In afifth example, a flange formed along the bottom of the body.

In a sixth example, one or more ridges is integrally formed in the body,the one or more ridges being oriented approximately perpendicular to theplurality of ribs. In a seventh example, at least one handle and onelatch are coupled to the body, the at least one handle is coupled to thebody on a side opposite of the deflector.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a combine harvesterincludes a housing including a chassis, the housing defining an interiorthrough which crop material flows in a generally rearward direction; acrop processing system located within the interior, the crop processingsystem including at least a threshing section and a separating section,where the separating section is rearward of the threshing section; aplurality of access doors removably coupled to the chassis, theplurality of access doors aligned along at least one side of the housingand spanning a distance defined by the threshing section and theseparating section; each of the plurality of access doors comprising abody having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side; aplurality of ribs integrally formed in the body for adding rigiditythereto; and a deflector integrally formed with the body and protrudinginto the interior of the housing for deflecting crop material away fromthe respective access door, the deflector comprising a top surface;wherein, the deflector comprises a width that is substantially the sameas the width of the body; wherein, the body is defined within a firstplane and the top surface is defined within a second plane, the secondplane being angularly disposed with respect to the first plane.

In one example of this embodiment, the plurality of access doorsincludes a first access door and a second access door, the first accessdoor and second access door having substantially the same width butdifferent heights. In a second example, each of the plurality of accessdoors comprises the same approximate width, but each of the plurality ofaccess doors comprises a different height. In a third example, a seal isdisposed along at least the top, the first side and the second side ofthe body of each access door; and a flange is formed along the bottom ofthe body of each access door, wherein the flange is coupled to thechassis.

In another example, one or more ridges is integrally formed in the bodyof each of the plurality of access doors, the one or more ridges beingoriented approximately perpendicular to the plurality of ribs. In adifferent example, a first handle and latch assembly is coupled adjacentto the first side of the body of each access door and a second handleand latch assembly is coupled adjacent to the second side of the body ofeach access door; wherein, the first and second handle and latchassemblies comprise a latched position and an unlatched position, therespective access door being removable from the chassis in the unlatchedposition; further wherein, the first handle and latch assembly isrotatable relative to the body between the latched position and theunlatched position.

In yet another example of this embodiment, a cleaning system is disposedin the interior at a location at least partially below the cropprocessing system and the plurality of access doors, the cleaning systemconfigured to remove residue from the crop material; wherein, thedeflector of each of the plurality of access doors is disposed withinthe interior to deflect the rearward flow of the crop material to thecleaning system.

In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, a method ofmanufacturing an access door for a combine harvester includes providinga material from which the door is to be formed; placing the material ina mold having a shape and size of the access door; performing a moldingprocess with the material in the mold; and manufacturing the access doorfrom the material during the molding process, wherein the molding stepcomprises forming a body of the access door having a top, a bottom, afirst side, and a second side; integrally forming a deflector and aplurality of ribs with an inner surface of the body, the deflectorincluding a top surface; forming a width of the deflector to beapproximately the same as a width of the body; forming the top surfaceof the deflector to be oriented at an angle less than 90° from the body.

In one example of this embodiment, the method may include forming atleast one ridge integrally in the body during the molding process, theat least one ridge extending the width of the body. In a second example,the method may include removing a first portion of the body by cuttingalong the at least one ridge from the first side to the second side; andforming a second access door with a remaining portion of the body, thesecond access door having a height that is less than a height of thebody before the removing step.

In another example, the method may include removing a second portionfrom the remaining portion of the body by cutting along a second ridgeformed therein; and forming a third access door after the second portionis removed, the third access door having a height that is less than theheight of the second access door. In a further example, the method mayinclude forming a flange in the bottom of the body; and installing aseal around at least a portion of the top, the first side and the secondside of the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure and the manner ofobtaining them will become more apparent and the disclosure itself willbe better understood by reference to the following description of theembodiments of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial section of a side view of a combine with a chopperrotor assembly and cleaning system;

FIG. 2 is a partial section of a side view of a side portion of acombine with a plurality of access doors;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a dual rotor combine with accessdoors on each side thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an interior of a plurality of accessdoors for being removably coupled to a combine harvester;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exterior of the plurality of accessdoors of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an interior side of an access door for acombine harvester;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line 7-7 in FIG. 6 of the accessdoor; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing an access door fora combine harvester.

Corresponding reference numerals are used to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodimentsdescribed herein and illustrated in the drawings and specific languagewill be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understoodthat no limitation of the scope of the present disclosure is therebyintended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrateddevices and methods, and such further applications of the principles ofthe present disclosure as illustrated therein being contemplated aswould normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the presentdisclosure relates.

In FIG. 1, an embodiment of an agricultural combine 10 is shown with achassis 12 with wheels 14 in contact with the ground. Wheels 14 arecoupled to the chassis 12 and are used for a forward propulsion of thecombine 10 in a forward operating or travelling direction. The forwardoperating direction is to the left in FIG. 1. The operation of thecombine 10 is controlled from an operator's cab 16. The operator's cab16 may include any number of controls (not shown) for controlling theoperation of the combine 10. A cutter head 18 is disposed at a forwardend of the combine 10 and is used in order to harvest crop such as cornand to conduct it to a slope conveyor 20. The harvested crop isconducted by a guide drum 22 to a slope conveyor 20. The guide drum 22guides the harvested crop through an inlet transition section 24 to anaxial harvested crop processing arrangement 26, as shown in FIG. 1.

The harvested crop processing arrangement 26 may include a rotor housing34 and a rotor 36 arranged therein. The rotor 36 includes a hollow drum38 to which crop processing elements are fastened for a charging section40, a threshing section 42, and a separating section 44. The chargingsection 40 is arranged at the front end of the axial harvested cropprocessing arrangement 26. The threshing section 42 and the separatingsection 44 are located downstream in the longitudinal direction and tothe rear of the charging section 40. The drum 38 may be in the form of atruncated cone located in the charging section 40. The threshing section42 may include a forward section in the form of a truncated cone and acylindrical rear section. The cylindrical separating section 44 of thedrum 38 is located at the rear or end of the axial harvested cropprocessing unit 26. In place of the axial harvested crop processing unit26, a tangential threshing drum with a following axial threshing sectionor a straw chopper could also be used.

Corn and chaff that fall through a thresher basket associated with thethreshing section 42 and through a separating grate associated with theseparating section 44 may be directed to a cleaning system 28 with ablower 46 and sieves 48, 50 with louvers. The sieves 48, 50 can beoscillated in a fore-and-aft direction. The cleaning system 28 removesthe chaff and guides the clean corn over a screw conveyor 52 to anelevator for clean corn (not shown). The elevator for clean corndeposits the clean corn in a corn tank 30, as shown in FIG. 1. The cleancorn in the corn tank 30 can be unloaded by means of an unloading screwconveyor 32 to a corn wagon, trailer, or truck (not shown). Harvestedcrop remaining at the lower end of the lower sieve 50 is againtransported to the harvested crop processing arrangement 26 by a screwconveyor 54 and an overhead conveyor (not shown). The harvested cropresidue delivered at the upper end of the upper sieve 48 that consistessentially of chaff and small straw particles may be conveyed by meansof an oscillating sheet conveyor 56 to the rear and to a lower inlet 58of a chopper rotor assembly 60.

The aforementioned blower 46 produces an air flow that carries much ofthe chaff and small particles to the rear of the combine and to thechopper rotor assembly 60. The blower 46 is capable of providing threeor more air paths inside the combine. A first air or flow path may bethrough a front portion of the combine 10. A second air or flow path maybe above the lower sieve 50 and below the upper sieve 48 or chaffer. Athird air or flow path may be below the lower sieve 50. All three air orflow paths fill the combine body and can create pressurized air flow topick up and carry straw, grain, and other residue or particles to therear of the combine 10.

Threshed-out straw leaving the separating section 44 is ejected throughan outlet 62 from the harvested crop processing arrangement 26 andconducted to an ejection drum 64. The ejection drum 64, or dischargebeater, interacts with a sheet 66 arranged underneath it to eject thestraw to the rear, and the grain and MOG is directed through thecleaning system 28. A wall 68 is located to the rear of the ejectiondrum 64. The wall 68 guides the straw into an upper inlet 70 of thechopper rotor assembly 60.

The chopper rotor assembly 60 may include a housing 72 (i.e., chopperhousing) with a rotor 74 arranged therein that can rotate in acounterclockwise direction about an axis extending horizontally andtransverse to the direction of operation. The rotor 74 may include aplurality of chopper knives 76, pendulously suspended in pairs anddistributed around the circumference of the rotor 74, that interact withopposing knives 78, which are fixed to the housing 72. Two impellerblowers 82 arranged side by side alongside each other, may be provideddownstream of an outlet 80 of the chopper rotor assembly 60. Only asingle blower 82 is shown in FIG. 1. The impeller blowers 82 may includea number of impeller blades 84, each of which is connected rigidly to anupper circular disk 86, that can rotate about central axes 88. The disks86 with the impeller blades 84 that extend radially can be rotatablydriven by a hydraulic motor 90 that is attached above a bottom sheet 102which is connected with the housing 72 of the chopper rotor assembly 60.At their radially inner ends the impeller blades 84 are connected to acylindrical central body 92 that transitions into a cone 94 with a pointon its end facing away from the disk 86. The impeller blades 84 may berectangular and the height of the body 92 (without cone 94) may be equalto the height of the impeller blades 84. The cross section of the body92 and the cone 94 may be circular, although it could also have amultifaceted shape.

During a harvesting operation, crop material flows from the front of themachine to the rear thereof. During the operation, it is desirable tokeep or maintain all of the grain and chaff inside the machine. To doso, it is necessary to envelope or enclose the threshing and separationsections of the harvester, particularly along the sides thereof. Indoing so, grain or other crop cannot escape from the harvester, anddust, dirt and other debris that normally accumulates within the machinecan be reduced. In addition, it is also desirable to have access to theinterior of the combine, and particularly to access the concaves, gratesand chaffers which may require periodic service or repair.

In many conventional harvesting machines, a door may be mechanicallybolted to the chassis or frame of the machine. It often required timeand effort to remove the door before access to the interior of themachine was possible. In addition to the labor, parts may be expensiveor get lost and there is a continuous need to locate new parts toreinstall the door. Besides the labor and parts, however, the biggestdrawback to the conventional access door on a harvesting machine was itsinability to aid in directing crop flow rearward from the separatorconcaves and grates, and to further prevent or reduce the accumulationof material (e.g., crop, grain, dirt, dust, debris, etc.) in gaps alongthe edges between the door and chassis. Moreover, material may fall orcollect on the cleaning shoe instead of flowing rearward. Thus, there isa need for an improved access door which is easier and less expensive tomanufacture and which also can aid with crop flow and the reduction ofdebris and other particulates from collecting in unwanted areas in themachine.

Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment of a combine harvester or harvestingmachine 200 is shown. The harvester 200 is shown with portions of itremoved to better illustrate some of the features of the presentdisclosure. In FIG. 2, the harvester 200 may include a chassis 202 orframe which is supported by one or more ground-engaging mechanisms (notshown) such as wheels or tracks. The chassis 202 partially provides anouter housing which supports or encloses other functioning components ofthe harvester 200. For example, the harvester 200 may include a cropprocessing system 204 similar to the one described above with respect toFIG. 1. For example, the system 204 may include a charging section 222located towards a front 206 of the system 204 and a separating section226 located towards a rear 208 of the system 204. A threshing section224 may be located between the charging section 222 and the separatingsection 226. The function of the charging section 222, threshing section224 and separating section 226 is not described with respect to FIG. 2,but each section may perform substantially the same function as anyconvention section within a combine and as described above with respectto FIG. 1.

As is known, crop may be collected and processed at the front 206 of themachine 200 and then forced in a rearward direction indicated by arrow210 in FIG. 2. As the crop flows in the rearward direction 210, andparticularly through the threshing section 224 and separating section226, the harvester 200 may include a plurality of access doors forpreventing or reducing the amount of crop that can escape from within.In particular, the plurality of access doors may include a first accessdoor 212, a second access door 214, and a third access door 216. Thefirst access door 212 may be located furthest to the front 206 and thethird access door 216 may be located furthest to the rear 208.

Each access door, or door, may be coupled to the chassis 202 of theharvester 200. Although not shown, a seal (e.g., a rubber seal) may bedisposed along an inner surface of at least three sides of each door toseal the door to the harvester 200. Each door may also include a firsthandle 218 and a second handle 220 for releasably coupling the door tothe chassis 202. As will be described below, each of the first andsecond handles may be pivoted or rotated approximately 90° to releasethe door from the chassis 202. Once the door is released from thechassis 202, it may be removed and set aside to allow for service orrepair of the harvester 200.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first door 212 is located generally along or inthe threshing section 224, and the third door 216 is located generallyalong or in the separating section 226. The second door 214 may belocated along or in the threshing section 224, the separating section226, or partially span both the threshing and separating sections. InFIG. 2, for example, the second door 214 is shown spanning the width ofat least a rearward portion of the threshing section 224 and at least aforward portion of the separating section 226.

As also shown in FIG. 2, and will be addressed further with respect toFIGS. 4 and 5, each of the first access door 212, second access door214, and third access door 216 may be formed of a different size. Inparticular, the first access door 212 may be the smallest of the threedoors, whereas the third access door 216 may be the largest of the threedoors. In one embodiment, the first door 212 may have a smaller heightthan the second access door 214 and the third access door 216. Inanother embodiment, the second access door 214 may be shorter than thethird access door 216. In a further embodiment, the difference in heightbetween the first access door 212 and the second access door 214 may beapproximately the same as the difference in height between the secondaccess door 214 and the third access door 216. In yet anotherembodiment, the width of each door may be approximately the same. In yeta further embodiment, the only difference between the first access door212, the second access door 214, and the third access door 216 is therespective height of each.

While FIG. 2 illustrates three access doors, the present disclosure isnot limited to any specific number of access doors. The principles andteachings of the present disclosure may apply to a harvester having anynumber of doors from a single access door to two or more access doors.The overall size of the harvester, for example, may determine the numberof access doors.

Referring to FIG. 3, a different embodiment of a combine harvester isshown. Here, the combine harvester is shown as a dual rotor combineincluding a first rotor assembly 300 and a second rotor assembly 302.The first rotor assembly 300 may be disposed on a first side 304 of thecombine and the second rotor assembly 302 may be disposed on a secondside 306 thereof. A portion of a cleaning shoe or chaffer (i.e., returnpan) 308 is shown below the pair of rotor assemblies and below (andpartially rearward of) the crop processing system 204. A first accessdoor 310 is shown coupled to the combine along the first side 304thereof, and a second access door 312 is shown coupled to the secondside 306 thereof. While only a single access door is shown on each side,it is to be understood that additional access doors may be disposedalong each side. For instance, in one embodiment, the first door 310 andsecond door 312 may be any one of the first access door 212, secondaccess door 214, or third access door 216 of FIG. 2.

It is desirable for the crop to be distributed or flow to the middle ofthe cleaning shoe or chaffer 308 for processing, rather than collectalong the sides of the machine near each access door. Thus, in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the first access door 310 may includea first integrally-formed deflector 314 and second access door 312 mayinclude a second integrally-formed deflector 316. Each deflector may beintegrally formed with an inner surface of the respective access doorand protrude at an angle into the interior of the combine. As it does,crop may flow from the front of the combine in a direction indicated byarrow 318. In conventional harvesting machines, the crop and othermaterial may collect along the first side 304 and second side 306 of thecombine below each respective access door. With the deflectors, however,the crop may engage the first deflector 314 and second deflector 316 andbe diverted along a direction indicated by arrow 320 towards a center ormiddle of the chaffer (i.e., return pan) 308 or the cleaning shoe sieve(or, alternatively referred to as a chaffer).

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of access doors for a harvesting machinesuch as the dual rotor combine of FIG. 3 are shown. In FIG. 4, theinterior or inner side of the doors is shown, whereas the exterior orouter side of the doors is shown in FIG. 5. In particular, the pluralityof access doors includes a first access door 400, a second access door402, and a third access door 404. While three access doors are shown, itis understood that any embodiment of the present disclosure may includeone or more access doors. Each access door includes an inner surface 406(FIG. 4) and an outer surface 500 (FIG. 5). An outer seal 408, e.g.,formed of rubber or similar type of sealing material, may partiallysurround each door. For example, the seal 408 may be disposed along atop and both sides of each door.

Each of the plurality of access doors in FIGS. 4 and 5 may include adeflector 410. The deflector 410 may be integrally formed with the innersurface 406 of each door. Moreover, the deflector 410 may be integrallyformed in a lower portion of each door, and span substantially theentire width of each respective door. Portions of the deflector 410,particularly at its outer edges, may be chamfered to better facilitatethe manufacturing process of forming the access doors.

A plurality of ribs 412 may be formed in the inner surface 406 of eachaccess door. The plurality of ribs 412 may add rigidity and support tothe access door. Each of the plurality of ribs 412 may be formedsubstantially vertically and thus at least partially perpendicular tothe deflector 410. The plurality of ribs 412 do not form part of thedeflector 410, but rather may extend from a top portion of therespective access door to a top edge of the deflector 410, as shown inFIG. 4. Each rib 412 may protrude outwardly from the inner surface 406of the access door.

In FIG. 4, the third access door 404 may be the largest of the pluralityof access doors. In this instance, the third access door 404 may includea first ridge 414 and a second ridge 416. The first ridge 414 and secondridge 416 may be substantially disposed in a horizontal orientation withrespect to the door 404, and therefore are substantially perpendicularto the plurality of ribs 412 previously described.

As will be described further below, the first ridge 414 and second ridge416 may define cut lines for forming the first access door 400 andsecond access door 402. In other words, in at least one embodiment, thematerial of the third access door 404 located above the second ridge 416may be removed to form the second access door 402. Moreover, thematerial of the third access door 404 located above the first ridge 414may be removed to form the first access door 400. As such, the presentdisclosure advantageously provides a manufacturing method (which isdescribed in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 8) in which asingle access door is manufactured, and then further processing may beincorporated to remove material to form either the first or secondaccess door.

In FIG. 5, the exterior of the plurality of access doors is shown. It isnoted that the plurality of ribs 412, the first ridge 414, and thesecond ridge 416 are not formed on the outer surface 500 of each door.Each of the access doors does, however, include a first handle 502 and asecond handle 504 for releasably securing the access doors to theharvesting machine. The first handle 502 may be releasably coupled to afirst latch 508, and the second handle 504 may be releasably coupled toa second latch 510. Both handles may be rotated approximately 90° todisengage the latches and allow the respective access door to bedisconnected and removed from the machine. The latches 508, 510 mayinclude a groove or slot 512 defined therein which captures therespective handle in the latched position of FIG. 5. The handles may bebiased, e.g., spring-loaded, such that a user must rotate the handles502, 504 by 90° to release the latches from engaging the chassis on theharvester.

In FIG. 5, the plurality of access doors are shown including a flange506 located along a bottom edge thereof for coupling to the chassis. Theflange 506 may engage a slot or opening formed in the chassis for atleast partially coupling each access door to the chassis. Each door mayinclude one or more flanges 506 for coupling to the chassis.

Referring now to FIG. 6, another embodiment of an access door 600 isshown. The access door 600 may correspond with the third access door 216of FIG. 2 and the third access door 404 of FIGS. 4 and 5. In any event,the access door 600 may be formed of a plastic or other lightweightmaterial via a molding process. For example, the access door 600 may beformed of a plastic material via a blow-molding process.

As shown, the access door 600 may include an outer perimeter formed by atop edge 602, a bottom edge 608, a first side edge 604, and a secondside edge 606. In one embodiment, the first side 604 has a greaterheight than the second side 606 such that the top edge 602 anglesdownwardly from the first side 604 to the second side 606. The door 600may include a deflector 616 integrally formed therewith. The deflector616 may include an angled surface 618 that defines a deflector plane 702(see FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 7, the access door 600 may generally bearranged within a door plane 700. The deflector plane 702 may beoriented at an angle, Θ, with respect to the door plane 700. Forpurposes of this disclosure, the angle Θ may be referred to as thedeflector angle. The deflector angle, Θ, may be disposed relative to thedoor plane 700 to direct or deflect crop flow towards the chaffer (i.e.,return pan) or cleaning shoe sieve (i.e., chaffer). Moreover, thedeflector angle may be set such that material and debris does notcollect along the sides of the harvester below or adjacent to the accessdoor.

In one example, the deflector angle may be in the range of 1-89°. In asecond example, the deflector angle may be between 5-85°. In a furtherexample, the deflector angle may be between 15-75°. In yet a furtherexample, the deflector angle may be between 30-65°. In any event, thedeflector angle may be defined at any angle that is able to deflect cropfrom the sides of the harvester to the middle of the chaffer (i.e.,return pan) or cleaning shoe sieve (i.e., chaffer).

As further shown in FIG. 7, the deflector 616 may be integrally formedwith an inner surface of the respective access door and protrude at anangle into the interior of the combine. In particular, the deflector 616may protrude by a distance, X, from the door plane 700 into the interiorof the combine. The distance, X, may be one or more inches up to one ormore feet. The distance, X, is not intended to be limiting for thepurposes of this disclosure, and it is sufficient for the deflector 616to simply protrude at an angle, Θ, into the interior of the combine toassist with crop flow.

Returning to FIG. 6, the access door 600 may be formed with a pluralityof ribs 610 that extend substantially vertically or angularly betweenthe top edge 602 of the door to the deflector 616. As shown, theplurality of ribs 610 may be partially formed in the deflector 616. Inother embodiments, the plurality of ribs 610 may not be formed in anypart of the deflector 616. The plurality of ribs 610, however, aregenerally formed to add rigidity and support to the access door 600.

The access door 600 may also include a first ridge that defines a firstcut line 612 and a second ridge that defines a second cut line 614. Thefirst ridge may correspond with the first ridge 414 in FIG. 4, and thesecond ridge may correspond with the second ridge 416 of FIG. 4. Aspreviously described, the access door 600 of FIG. 6 may be repeatedlymanufactured by the same tool or mold, and then further processed byremoving material to achieve a smaller access door. For example, a firstportion 620 of material that forms the top edge 602 of the door 600 maybe removed (e.g., cut by a robot or other tool) along the second cutline 614. Once the first portion 620 of material is removed, theresulting access door may have a second height, H₂. The original accessdoor 600 may have a first height defined as H₁, which corresponds withthe tallest height of the access doors.

In a further example, a smaller access door may be formed by removingthe first portion 620 of material and a second portion 622 of materialfrom the access door 600 by machining or otherwise removing (e.g.,cutting by a robot or other tool) both portions along the first cut line612. Once this is done, the access door may have a third heightcorresponding to H₃. The third height is less than the second height,which is less than the first height. In FIG. 2, for example, the firstaccess door 212 may have a height corresponding with the third height,the second access door 214 may have a height corresponding with thesecond height, and the third access door 216 may have a heightcorresponding with the first height. Similarly, in FIG. 4, the firstdoor 400 may have a height corresponding with the third height, thesecond access door 402 may have a height corresponding with the secondheight, and the third access door 404 may have a height correspondingwith the first height. In each embodiment, the access door having thefirst height may be used to form the smaller doors.

While the access door 600 of FIG. 6 is shown including a first ridge anda second ridge, and thus defining the first cut line 612 and the secondcut line 614, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited tohaving only two cut lines. In a further embodiment, the access door maybe formed to include a plurality of ridges, each of which defines a cutline corresponding to a different height of an access door. Thus, forexample, one access door may include three ridges each of which define afirst cut line, a second cut line and a third cut line. In this example,up to four access doors having different heights may be formed. In yetanother example, one access door may have X number of ridges, each ofwhich defines a cut line, such that up to X+1 access doors may bemanufactured from the same tooling and process. As a result, multipleaccess doors of varying heights may be manufactured from the sameprocess and with the same tooling, which is more cost effective andreduces the complexity of the manufacturing process.

In one aspect of the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 6, the deflector 616may be integrally formed with the door at any location between thebottom edge 608 and the first cut line 612. Thus, while the deflector616 is generally shown being formed closer to the bottom edge 608 of thedoor, it may be possible and desirable to form the deflector 616 at alocation closer to the first cut line 612 in other embodiments.Moreover, while the width of the deflector 616 is generally shown toextend between a first side edge 604 and a second side edge 606 of thedoor, it is to be understood that in other embodiments the width of thedeflector 616 may be less than the distance defined between the firstside edge 604 and the second side edge 606.

Referring to FIG. 8, one embodiment of a method of manufacturing anaccess door is shown. The method 800 may include one or more blocks orsteps that is executed to form the access door. While FIG. 8 representsone such method for forming the door, it is to be understood that theblocks or steps illustrated in FIG. 8 are done so only as one suchexample, and these blocks or steps are not intended to be shown in anyspecific sequential order. In other words, a similar yet differentmethod may be executed where one or more of the blocks or steps shown inFIG. 8 may be omitted or performed before or after another block orstep. Furthermore, additional blocks or steps not shown in FIG. 8 mayform part of a different method of manufacturing an access door.

In FIG. 8, a first block 802 of the method 800 may be executed by firstobtaining the material for forming the door. The material may be anylightweight material that can be structurally supportive and withstandthe environment of a harvesting machine. Without limiting the type ofmaterial to be used, one example of a type of material that may be usedis a plastic or resin. For example, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) maybe used as the material to form the door. The type of plastic or resin,however, may be selected at the time of manufacture, and is not intendedto be limiting for purposes of this disclosure.

For purposes of FIG. 8, the access door may be formed by a moldingprocess such as a blow-molding process. A blow-molding process may usean inner skin and an outer skin to form the mold. The blow-moldingprocess in FIG. 8 may include several blocks or steps including mixingmelting and pushing plastic (extrusion) to form it into a tube called aparison that will be used to make the part in block 804. The mold may beused to make the access door to any desired shape. The mold can includetwo halves (e.g., skins) that are closed around the molten parison. Inblock 806, air or another gas may then be blown into the inside of theparison to expand the molten plastic against the mold surface. The moldmay be cooled on a cooling rack set the plastic to the new shape of themold. In block 808, the molded plastic access door is removed from themold, separated from excess parison material called flash in block 810,and finished by allowing the door to cool in block 812. In someinstances, the finishing steps can be completed in-mold, but in otherinstances some steps may involve secondary operations.

As described above, shorter access doors may be manufactured from thelarger door. In block 814, for example, a robot or other cutting toolmay remove a portion from the original access door in order to form anintermediate-sized door or the smallest door for the harvesting machine.As described with reference to FIG. 6, the original access door 600 mayinclude a first cut line 612 and a second cut line 614, both of whichare formed by ridges. The robot or cutting tool can cut the plastic dooralong either cut line to form the desired door.

Once the access door is finished, any final machining, processing andassembly may be executed in block 816. For example, the handles and doorlatches may be assembled to each door.

The aforementioned molding process may be used to form the access dooralong with the deflector. The deflector may be integrally formed withthe door during the molding process. The removed portion of the originaldoor may be done along a cut line which is located near the top edge ofthe door, and opposite of where the deflector is formed in the door. Assuch, regardless of how much material is removed from the original door,the resulting access door may include a deflector as described herein.

While blow-molding has been described as one process for manufacturingthe access door, it may also be possible to form the access door byrotational molding or thermoforming processes. Other molding processesmay be used in part or whole, as well.

While plastic or resin is described as the material for themanufacturing process, in other embodiments it may be possible to usealuminum or steel. In these embodiments, the resulting access door mayinclude a deflector, but the deflector may be mechanically fastened tothe door via bolts or other fasteners.

While exemplary embodiments incorporating the principles of the presentdisclosure have been described herein, the present disclosure is notlimited to such embodiments. Instead, this application is intended tocover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using itsgeneral principles. Further, this application is intended to cover suchdepartures from the present disclosure as come within known or customarypractice in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

1. An access door for a combine harvester, comprising: a body having atop, a bottom, a first side, and a second side, the body including aheight defined between the top and the bottom and a width definedbetween the first side and the second side; a plurality of ribsintegrally formed in the body for adding rigidity thereto; and adeflector integrally formed with the body and protruding therefrom, thedeflector comprising a top surface; wherein, the deflector comprises awidth that is less than or equal to the width of the body; wherein, thebody is defined within a first plane and the top surface is definedwithin a second plane, the second plane being disposed at an angle lessthan 90° from the first plane.
 2. The door of claim 1, wherein the body,plurality of ribs and deflector are formed of plastic.
 3. The door ofclaim 1, wherein the angle is between 5° and 85°.
 4. The door of claim1, wherein the body has a height greater along the first side than alongthe second side.
 5. The door of claim 1, further comprising a sealpositioned along at least one of the top, the bottom, the first side andthe second side.
 6. The door of claim 1, further comprising a flangeformed along the bottom of the body.
 7. The door of claim 1, furthercomprising one or more ridges integrally formed in the body, the one ormore ridges being angularly oriented to the plurality of ribs.
 8. Thedoor of claim 1, further comprising at least one handle and one latchcoupled to the body, the at least one handle being coupled to the bodyon a side opposite of the deflector.
 9. A combine harvester, comprising:a housing including a chassis, the housing defining an interior throughwhich crop material flows in a generally rearward direction; a cropprocessing system located within the interior, the crop processingsystem including at least a threshing section and a separating section,where the separating section is rearward of the threshing section; aplurality of access doors removably coupled to the chassis, theplurality of access doors aligned along at least one side of the housingand spanning a distance defined by the threshing section and theseparating section; each of the plurality of access doors comprising: abody having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side; aplurality of ribs integrally formed in the body for adding rigiditythereto; and a deflector integrally formed with the body and protrudinginto the interior of the housing for deflecting crop material away fromthe respective access door, the deflector comprising a top surface;wherein, the deflector comprises a width that is substantially the sameas the width of the body; wherein, the body is defined within a firstplane and the top surface is defined within a second plane, the secondplane being angularly disposed with respect to the first plane.
 10. Thecombine harvester of claim 9, wherein the plurality of access doorscomprises a first access door and a second access door, the first accessdoor and second access door having substantially the same width butdifferent heights.
 11. The combine harvester of claim 9, wherein each ofthe plurality of access doors comprises the same approximate width, buteach of the plurality of access doors comprises a different height. 12.The combine harvester of claim 9, further comprising: a seal disposedalong at least the top, the first side and the second side of the bodyof each access door; and a flange formed along the bottom of the body ofeach access door, wherein the flange is coupled to the chassis.
 13. Thecombine harvester of claim 9, further comprising one or more ridgesintegrally formed in the body of each of the plurality of access doors,the one or more ridges being oriented approximately perpendicular to theplurality of ribs.
 14. The combine harvester of claim 9, furthercomprising a first handle and latch assembly coupled adjacent to thefirst side of the body of each access door and a second handle and latchassembly coupled adjacent to the second side of the body of each accessdoor; wherein, the first and second handle and latch assemblies comprisea latched position and an unlatched position, the respective access doorbeing removable from the chassis in the unlatched position; furtherwherein, the first handle and latch assembly is rotatable relative tothe body between the latched position and the unlatched position. 15.The combine harvester of claim 9, further comprising a cleaning systemdisposed in the interior at a location at least partially below the cropprocessing system and the plurality of access doors, the cleaning systemconfigured to remove residue from the crop material; wherein, thedeflector of each of the plurality of access doors is disposed withinthe interior to deflect the rearward flow of the crop material to thecleaning system.
 16. A method of manufacturing an access door for acombine harvester, comprising: providing a material from which the dooris to be formed; placing the material in a mold having a shape and sizeof the access door; performing a molding process with the material inthe mold; and manufacturing the access door from the material during themolding process, wherein the molding step comprises: forming a body ofthe access door having a top, a bottom, a first side, and a second side;integrally forming a deflector and a plurality of ribs with an innersurface of the body, the deflector including a top surface; forming awidth of the deflector to be approximately the same as a width of thebody; forming the top surface of the deflector to be oriented at anangle less than 90° from the body.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising forming at least one ridge integrally in the body during themolding process, the at least one ridge extending the width of the body.18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: removing a first portionof the body by cutting along the at least one ridge from the first sideto the second side; and forming a second access door with a remainingportion of the body, the second access door having a height that is lessthan a height of the body before the removing step.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising: removing a second portion from theremaining portion of the body by cutting along a second ridge formedtherein; and forming a third access door after the second portion isremoved, the third access door having a height that is less than theheight of the second access door.
 20. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: forming a flange in the bottom of the body; and installing aseal around at least a portion of the top, the first side and the secondside of the body.